* Copy courtesy of Penguin Random House *
Ernest (Ernie) Cunningham is back for the third time in this Christmas themed special, Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret by Benjamin Stevenson. Ernie re-introduces himself to the reader, serving as a reminder for fans and a perfect - yet brief - introduction for new readers picking this up as a standalone.
In the Prologue, Ernie promises to follow the rules of crime writing in another fair play murder mystery that won't include unreliable narrators or hidden clues. Instead, he'll be delivering this Christmas crime special in the form of a twenty-four chapter advent calender with seven gifts wrapped under a tree and six suspects to consider. By the end of the Prologue I was back on board the Cunningham express and keen to open my presents.
Set in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Ernie attends Katoomba police station in the opening pages to speak with a person charged with murder. After hearing their story, he readily agrees to take on the case. Cleverly written with periodic nods to the classics, Stevenson draws on his comedic talent and the laughs are never far away:
"Jeez, Ern. You really are some kind of detective these days. How'd you know that?" "I googled it while you were crying." Page 22Ernie regularly breaks the fourth wall to address the reader and foreshadow events - even disclosing when he'll solve the case - heightening the tension as he investigates the murder. Stevenson has kept track of all the Yuletide threads in this tightly plotted mystery and I think Ern is getting better with each investigation. I love the unique writing style and the clever way the author uses particular writing techniques to entertain the reader.
The author also manages to include interesting character observations and everyday interactions in a way that made me stop and take notice in recognition:
"I nodded. She had a thick Irish accent that was taking me a few minutes to jump into the skipping rope of." Page 56This is such a perfectly relatable description presented in a way that's flattering to the character and adds dimension and depth to this light-hearted mystery. The 7 Commandments of Holiday Specials was the perfect touch to wrap up this festive Christmas novella full of holiday cheer with just a touch of magic.
Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret by Australian author Benjamin Stevenson is the third installation in a series that is entering rare territory here at Carpe Librum, that is: every book has been a 5 star read!
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everyone on this Train is a Suspect ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Highly recommended and the perfect Christmas gift!
